Andrew Pyle was pained and powerless Friday.

Pyle, Eudora HighâÂÂs standout running back, ended his phenomenal prep football career without even the opportunity for one final play, not even on defense.

As Fort Scott allowed the final seconds to tick off the clock to secure its 21-14 state semifinal victory Friday at EHS, all Pyle could do was shrug his head and tug at his chinstrap.

âÂÂI donâÂÂt know,â said an emotional Pyle, who had few words for the frustrating ending to a career, during which he rushed for more than 4,000 yards in just two full seasons.

But Friday, Pyle, arguably Class 4AâÂÂs top running back, was all but blanked when he rushed for just 14 yards on 11 carries.

The Tigers erased Pyle from EudoraâÂÂs game plan, making him little more than a decoy in the Cardinalsâ backfield.

Each of PyleâÂÂs 11 carries featured him getting pinned, punched or pounded near or at the line of scrimmage.

Pyle had only two yards on three carries in the first half. Six of his 11 rushed were for a yard or less.

And even when he did string together two straight successful runs of four and five yards late in the fourth, the Tigers packed Pyle again at the line of scrimmage on a fourth-and-one play with 5:47 left, sealing EudoraâÂÂs loss.

âÂÂWe should have given him more touches,â said Eudora coach Gregg Webb.

Maybe not even that would have been the answer to EudoraâÂÂs rushing problem.

Pyle, who had been the premier player on a Eudora team averaging more than 300 yards a game on the ground, kept plugging away, but saw no productivity as the Cardinals were held to 92 yards on 32 carries.

Unlike last week when Pyle was the hero after pushing Eudora past Paola on a two-point conversion run, his final prep run provided a painful memory from his past.

Last year, Pyle was stopped less than a half-yard short in a season-ending loss at Sabetha.

Friday the field was different, but the result was the same. A ton of Tigers met him head-on in the backfield and buried Pyle on EudoraâÂÂs last possession.

âÂÂWe had a team capable of winning the state championship, and we blew it,â whispered Pyle while walking off his home field for the final time.